Support for metal bar being tapered

ABSTRACT

A support with an upper surface for receiving a metal bar while it is being rolled to taper it also has laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the end portions of that surface, with the walls at one end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap. In the gap there are gripping means mounted on the support for engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface. The support is provided with means for lifting the bar after tapering so that it can be grasped and carried away from the support.

rause States atent ,1

SUPPORT FOR METAL BAR BEING TAPERED Inventor: Richard P. Krause, 1503 Highland Ave., New Castle, Pa. 16105 Filed: Jan. 15, 1973 Appl. No.: 323,504

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1908 Merralls 269/32 12/1912 King 254/104 Peterson 269/217 1 3,825,117 July 23, 1974 3,138,999 6/1964 Haggstrom 90/1305 Primary Examiner-Roy Lake Assistant ExaminerCraig R. Feinberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brown, Murray, Flick &

Peckham [57] ABSTRACT A support with an upper surface for receiving a metal bar while it is being rolled to taper it also has laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the end portions of that surface, with the walls at one end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap. In the gap there are gripping means mounted on the support for engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface. The support is provided with means for lifting the bar after tapering so that it can be grasped and carried away from the support.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL? 3 I974 $8354 17 sum 3 or 3 SUPPORT FOR METAL BAR BEING TAPERED In U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,749 a rolling mill is shown in which bars can be tapered in thickness toward their opposite ends in order to provide leaf springs. In that mill there are carriages at its opposite ends that can be moved toward the center of the mill. Each carriage carries a pair of rolls for tapering the trailing end of a bar as it is carried through the mill on an anvil. The mill shown in that patent operates satisfactorily, but the bars have to be loaded onto the anvils and removed from them manually. The machine is not satisfactory for mechanical loading and unloading.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide apparatus for supporting a metal bar during tapering in a mill such as shown in the above-mentioned patent or in other tapering machines, which permits bars to be placed on an anvil and removed from the anvil by tongs supported by an overhead conveyor, and in which provision can be made for limited longitudinal movement of a bar along the anvil'during rolling.

The preferred. embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of the rolling mill, withparts broken away;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the bar-supporting apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bar-supporting apparatus, partly in section;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the bar-supporting apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical-section taken on the line V-V of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS; 1 and 5 of the drawings, a long rolling mill housing 1, which may be like the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,749 although not necessarily so, is provided with a large passage 2 extending through it from end to end. The floor of the passage is substantially flat and the sides are vertical. Disposed in the ends of the passages are roll carriages, only one 3 of which is shown. Each contains a pair of vertically spaced rolls 4 and 5. In each carriage the lower roll is supported by the floor of the passage and its necks are journalled in the carriage. The upper roll is spaced from the top of the passage and is movable vertically in the carriage. For this purpose the necks of the upper roll may be journalled in vertical slots 6 in the sides of the carriage and urged upwardly by coil springs 7 beneath the necks. The upper roll engages a cam plate 8 mounted above it in the mill housing and having its lower surface inclined downwardly from its outer end.

The carriage, which is movable lengthwise of the mill housing, is held upright and is guided by a pair of laterally spaced tracks 11 extending through the housing passage and outwardly away from its opposite ends to supporting posts 12. These tracks are located between the sides of the carriage and about midway between its top and bottom. Inside the mill housing the tracks are fastened to it by spacing blocks 13 at each end of the passage and by spacing bars at the center of the passage. As shown in FIG. 5, the sides of the carriage are provided with horizontal slots 14 that receive the adjoining portions of the tracks to connect the carriage to the tracks. v

The two tracks are provided with inwardly opening longitudinal channels 16, in which two pairs of wheels 17 are supported. These wheels are part of a bar carriage 18. Means are provided for moving this carriage along the tracks, such means preferably including a pair of endless chains 19 that extend around vertical sprockets 20 journalled in pedestal bearings 21 near track-supporting posts 12. The lower lengths of the chains extend through the mill housing beneath its floor, and the ends of the chain are fastened to the opposite ends of the bar carriage. In order to drive the chains so that they can move the bar carriage back and forth through the housing, the sprockets at each end of the mill can be operatively connected in any suitable manner with their own drive motor (not shown).

In accordance with this invention, the bar carriage has a rectangular base 24 as shown in FIG. 2, from which integral blocks 25 extend upwardly at opposite ends of one side of it, whereby a gap is formed between the blocks. The inner 'vertical surfaces of these blocks form side walls that project above a long rectangular anvil 26 that extends lengthwise of the carriage and rests on its upper surface in engagement with the blocks. The anvil is'in line with the pass between the rolls in'the mill housing, and the elongated upper surface of the anvil is for supporting a bar to be rolled. At

the side of the anvil opposite blocks 25 the corner portions of the carriage base are provided with a second pair of upwardly extending integral blocks 27, but these are spaced a considerable distance from the anvil. Between these blocks and the adjacent side of the anvil there are wedges 28 that are movable lengthwise of the anvil. The sides of the wedges next to the corner blocks are providedwith longitudinally extending ribs 29 that can slide in T-slots in the adjoining sides of the blocks as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Between the inner or inclined side of each wedge and the anvil there is a wedge-shaped member 30 that forms a side wall extending above the anvil. The wedge and this side wall member likewise are connected by a rib 31 and T-slot. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner ends of the two wedges are connected by piston rods 32 to pistons in cylinders 33 rigidly mounted on base 24 in the gap between the wedges.

By supplying fluid pressure to one end or the other of these cylinders, the wedges can be moved toward or away from the adjacent ends of the bar carriage in order to move the adjoining side wall members 30 toward or away from the anvil. The width of the recess between opposite side walls when they are engaging both sides of the anvil is slightly greater than the width of the bar 34 that is to be placed on the anvil and rolled. This allows the bar to spread laterally as it is rolled until it engages the side walls, which control its width. By moving the wedges toward each other after rolling, the side wall members 30 are retracted to release the bar so that it can be released from its support formed by the bar carriage and anvil.

Midway between the ends of the bar carriage there are gripping means for tightly engaging the opposite edges of the heated bar 34 resting on the anvil. Since the bar is narrower than the anvil, the central portion of the anvil is provided with lateral recesses 36 so that the opposite edges of the bar in that area will project outwardly beyond the sides of the anvil to permit the bar to be gripped. The gripping means include a fixed jaw 37 at one side of the anvil and a movable jaw 38 at the opposite side, with means for moving the movable jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw to grip and release the bar. The fixed jaw may be a block connected to the bar carriage and provided with a transverse passage through it, in which a rod 39 is slidably supported. The rod also extends through a passage 40 in the anvil and carries the movable jaw on its end opposite the fixed jaw. The opposite end of the bar has an upwardly projecting portion that is pinned to the outer end of a piston rod 41 that extends into a fluid pressure cylinder 42 attached to the fixed jaw. When fluid pressure is delivered to the inner end of this cylinder, the piston rod is moved outwardly and that draws the movable jaw tightly against the adjoining edge of a bar on the anvil to clamp the bar between the two jaws.

OPERATION In the operation of this mill, a heated bar 34 of substantially uniform thickness from end to end is lowered by tongs onto the anvil while the movable side wall members 30 are in their retracted position. The tongs may be carried by an overhead conveyor. After the bar has been released by the tongs, the movable side walls are moved in against the anvil and this will straighten the bar on it if it was not deposited correctly. The bar carriage then is pulled forward by the chains and between the rolls of the roll carriage, which is then in its outermost or starting position as shown in FIG. 1. As soon as the jaws 37 and 38 have passed the rolls the roll carriage is moved forward with the bar carriage by means of a piston rod 44 secured to the roll carriage and extending into a fluid pressure cylinder 45 supported in the center of the mill housing passage as shown in FIG. 1'. The roll carriage and bar carriage are advanced together until the cam plate moves the upper roll 4 down far enough to frictionally engage the heated bar on the anvil, with the lower roll engaging the under side of the bar carriage. As soon as this happens, the jaws grip the central portion of the bar to hold it in place, and the rolls will slow down the forward advance of the carriage to about half the speed of the bar carriage as the downwardly moving upper roll tapers the rear portion of the bar toward its rear or trailing end.

After the bar leaves the upper roll the carriage can be returned to its starting position by cylinder 45, but the bar carriage continues to travel on through the mill housing and at least part way through the other roll carriage (not shown). On the return trip, the previously unrolled end of the bar is tapered in the same way by the rolls in the second roll carriage. After the bar leaves these rolls, a lower cylinder 46 in the mill housing returns their roll carriage to its starting position while the bar carriage completes its round trip through the housing and travels out of it to its outer position shown in FIG. 1.

When a relatively thin or weak bar is being rolled, the tendency of the displaced metal to flow forward as well as backward might cause the portion of the bar between the upper roll and the gripping jaws to hump up if the center of the bar is anchored to the anvil. To prevent this, the jaws can be connected to the bar carriage in such a way that they can move lengthwise of that carriage a limited distance when forced to do so by the bar, so that the bar can slide lengthwise of the anvil. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom of the fixed jaw 37 may be provided with a longitudinal T-slot that receives a rib 48 of the same shape rigidly mounted on carriage base 24. This will permit the jaws to be moved lengthwise of the base. However, they should be returned to their central position the moment the rolled bar leaves the rolls, and this can be accomplished by heavy coil springs 49 (FIG. 2) compressed between the opposite ends of the fixed jaw and blocks 25. Passage 40 in the anvil extends lengthwise of the anvil far enough to permit rod 39 to move laterally the necessary distance in the anvil.

In case there is not sufficient room between the corner blocks at the opposite ends of the bar carriage for the tongs that lower a heated bar onto the anvil and remove the tapered bar from it, or in case it otherwise would be difficult for the tongs to engage a bar after it has been tapered, provision can be made for raising the anvil to lift the tapered bar up above the side walls beside the anvil and bar. This lifting or ejecting means can consist of interengaging wedges disposed in recesses 52 in the opposite ends of the carriage base 24 directly beneath the end portions of the anvil, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, a fixed wedge 53 is secured to the bottom of the anvil, while a sliding wedge 54 engaging the bottom of the fixed wedge is movable lengthwise of the recess to raise the anvil or allow it to descend. Each movable wedge is connected by a piston rod 55 with a hydraulic cylinder 56 mounted on a bracket 57 projecting from the end of the carriage base. If desired, the two wedges can be connected by T-slots and ribs so that outward movement of the sliding wedges will pull the anvil down. Anvil passage 40 extends downwardly far enough to allow the anvil to be raised relative to jaw rod 39.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for supporting a metal bar while it is being rolled to taper it in thickness toward its opposite ends, comprising supporting means provided with an elongated substantially continuous upper surface for receiving and supporting such a bar throughout its length, said means being provided with laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the end portions of said surface with the walls at one end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap, and gripping means in said gap mounted on said supporting means for tightly engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface midway between the ends of the bar.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means are spaced from said side walls to provide access for bar-lifting tongs.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means include a fixed jaw at one side of said surface connected to said supporting means, a movable 6O jaw at the opposite side of said surface opposed to the fixed jaw, said supporting means having a portion extending upwardly between said jaws and provided with said bar-supporting surface, said portion and fixed jaw being provided with aligned transverse passages, a rod slidably disposed in said passages and connected at one end to said movable jaw, and a fluid pressure cylinder operatively connected to the opposite end of the rod for moving the rod axially in said passages for moving the jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw to grip and release a bar between them.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means include a block at one side of said surface, means connecting the block to said supporting means for movement lengthwise of said surface, resilient means normally holding the block in a centered position but permitting said movement, a jaw at the opposite side of said surface opposed to said block and movable therewith lengthwise of said surface, and means for moving the jaw toward and away from said block,

said surface with the walls at one end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap, gripping means in said gap mounted on said supporting means for tightly engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface midway between the ends of the bar, and means for pushing a bar upwardly between said side walls after said gripping means have been released.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said sup porting means include a support, and an anvil mounted on the support and provided with said upper surface, said pushing means including means disposed between said support and anvil for raising the anvil to lift a bar resting thereon.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said supporting means include a support, and an anvil mounted on the support and provided with said upper surface, said pushing means including wedge means disposed between said support and anvil, and fluid pressure means for moving said wedge means to raise the anvil to lift a bar resting thereon. 

1. Apparatus for supporting a metal bar while it is being rolled to taper it in thickness toward its opposite ends, comprising supporting means provided with an elongated substantially continuous upper surface for receiving and supporting such a bar throughout its length, said means being provided with laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the end portions of said surface with the walls at one end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap, and gripping means in said gap mounted on said supporting means for tightly engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface midway between the ends of the bar.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means are spaced from said side walls to provide access for bar-lifting tongs.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means include a fixed jaw at one side of said surface connected to said supporting means, a movable jaw at the opposite side of said surface opposed to the fixed jaw, said supporting means having a portion extending upwardly between said jaws and provided with said bar-supporting surface, said portion and fixed jaw being provided with aligned transverse passages, a rod slidably disposed in said passages and connected at one end to said movable jaw, and a fluid pressure cylinder operatively connected to the opposite end of the rod for moving the rod axially in said passages for moving the jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw to grip and release a bar between them.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said gripping means include a block at one side of said surface, means connecting the block to said supporting means for movement lengthwise of said surface, resilient means normally holding the block in a centered position but permitting said movement, a jaw at the opposite side of said surface opposed to said block and movable therewith lengthwise of said surface, and means for moving the jaw toward and away from said block.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, including means for moving said supporting means back and forth in a path extending lengthwise of said elongated surface.
 6. Apparatus for supporting a metal bar while it is being rolled to taper it in thickness toward its opposite ends, comprising supporting means provided with an elongated upper surface for receiving and supporting such a bar throughout its length, said means being provided with laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the end portions of said surface with the walls at One end spaced from the walls at the other end to form a gap, gripping means in said gap mounted on said supporting means for tightly engaging the opposite edges of a bar on said surface midway between the ends of the bar, and means for pushing a bar upwardly between said side walls after said gripping means have been released.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said supporting means include a support, and an anvil mounted on the support and provided with said upper surface, said pushing means including means disposed between said support and anvil for raising the anvil to lift a bar resting thereon.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which said supporting means include a support, and an anvil mounted on the support and provided with said upper surface, said pushing means including wedge means disposed between said support and anvil, and fluid pressure means for moving said wedge means to raise the anvil to lift a bar resting thereon. 